Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 15 February 2015, Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany, by The Rev. Ewing W. [Bud] Carroll, Jr. The scripture readings that day were 2 Kings 2:1-12; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9.

If you’ve watched any cowboy/Western movies, or detective thrillers you probably remember where the main character, usually a man, goes into a bar, sits up on a stool and with considerable exasperation tells the bar tender, “Make mine a double.”  I’m not that familiar with hard drinks, but know that usually means “Give me a double shot of the strongest whisky you have.”  The bar tender quickly replies and then the cowboy/detective/policeperson gulps down the whole thing before you can say KUC.

     In today’s reading from 2 Kings, Elijah is about to die.  For Elisha, his apprentice, that’s a very frightening thing. Elisha knows there’s no way he can step into Elijah’s sandals; no way.  And so he pleads with Elijah, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” “Make mine a double.”  No, not a double shot of Palestinian whisky, Nazarene nectar or Jerusalem gin.  Rather, aware of his own shortcomings, Elisha is asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, in order to be a faithful and useful prophet for God.

     Closely related to this Old Testament reading is Mark’s account of the Transfiguration of Jesus.  Earlier Jesus had told the Disciples about his coming death and resurrection.  Now, he’s taken Peter, James and John with him to the top of a mountain. Not for a holiday outing; rather, to just get away from the crowds and enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. Look again at Peter’s reaction.  Probably a mixture of fear, excitement and wanting to please Jesus, Peter says to him, “Let’s put up three tents here.  One for you; one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Unlike Elisha’s “Make mine a double” Peter seems to be saying, “Make mine a triple.”  But what a difference!

     Back in the late 1960’s and early 1970s, I used to take visitors up to Kowloon Peak [locally know as Flying Goose Mountain].  On a clear day – or night – you could look down on Kowloon City and a-l-l the way across the harbor to Hong Kong Island.  It was an awesome experience;  almost like seeing a miniature toy town; quiet, cool, calm, clear and serene; as though we hadn’t a care in the whole world.  I often thought, “Yes, let’s just stay up here.”

     Maybe that’s how Peter felt. Suddenly, seeing Jesus ablaze in a dazzling white robe and talking with Moses and Elijah, Peter must have felt like what Pastor Judy and I as Southerners, would say is  “being in hog heaven.”   It doesn’t get any better than this!

But then the truth struck home.  The Gospel singer Amy Grant’s song Mountain Top pretty well describes what Jesus may have been thinking that day:  “I’d like to live on a mountain top, but I’ve got to come down to the people in the valley below.”

Transfiguration is a l-o-n-g word meaning transformation or change.  But I don’t think this Gospel story is really about any change in Jesus.  Rather, the change was in the Disciples.  Jesus was inviting them to better understand who he was and what he wanted for and from his disciples. And that, my friends, includes you and me.  And so as we leave the Season of Epiphany – the early years of Jesus’ life; welcome the New Year of the Ram/Sheep/Ewe/Goat and prepare for the Season of Lent, we are called to think anew how we might be transformed, changed, transfigured to become even more faithful disciples of Christ.  Let me suggest two ways – easy to say, but oh, so difficult to follow!

     First: The willingness to change.  Eggs may turn into worms; moths into butterflies.  They have no choice; that’s part of God’s creative process!  But we humans?  That’s another story. Our lives are filled with mountain top experiences.  Truth be told, we often find great comfort in them.  Oh, maybe not hikes up Sunset Peak; Fei Ngor Shan or Tai Mo Shan.  No - more likely they are thoughts, feelings, attitudes and actions that give us a sense of security and protection; or maybe they’re negative experiences like fear; pride; anxiety; frustration; anger; intolerance; a sense of superiority.

     Two factory workers were about to have lunch together.  As one opened his lunch container he complained, ‘Oh no, not again!  This is the third time this week I’ve got fried rice.”  The second said, “Well, why don’t you ask your wife to fix something else?”  The first replied, ”Wife?  I’m not even married.  I fixed that myself!”

We really are creatures of habit!  It’s so easy to stay where we are; keep watching the worries and woes of the world from our little mountain tops of security and stability.  Just keep on eating fried rice every day! Hopefully these words from James Baldwin can encourage us to become more willing to change: “Not everything that is faced can be changed.  But nothing can be changed until it is faced.”  And those words from Amy Grant keep coming back and back to haunt and challenge us – “…I’ve got to come down to the people in the valley below.” Not change for change’s sake.  Rather changes, in the words of the prophet Micah, that enable us “to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with God.”

      Secondly, The willingness to listen.  Mark tells, us as a cloud overshadowed Peter, James and John, a voice came saying, ”This is my Son, the Beloved, listen to him.”  The author Mark Twain wrote, “If we were to talk more than we listen, we would have two tongues and only one ear.”

     Last night I took a self-skills assessment test on the Internet. My communication in groups skills scored 90% - way up at the top.  My listening skills?  38% - way at the bottom!   I’m not alone.  You’ve probably heard about the man who claimed his hearing aid was the best ever made.  A friend asked him, “What kind is it?” the man replied, ”It’s about 2:30.”   Yes, kind and time are different!

     Actually, it’s really not that difficult to listen with our ears.  The problem is “listening” with our hearts, minds and brains.  Hey, no one said listening to God or anyone else is easy. Far from it!  It takes great loyalty and daring; a greater sense of urgency; a willingness to come down from whatever mountain top experiences keep us from being more faithful followers of Christ.

     Have you ever been in a hospital in Mainland China?  The dozen or so I’ve seen, all have a HUGE ground floor room for intravenous feeding.  I call it a “drip room.”  40-50 people all sitting around for two or three hours, with a needle in the top of their hand, receiving “sugar water” and goodness knows what else. Some see the Transfiguration of Jesus like that -him being injected into our lives.  Drip.  Drip.  Drip! No way!  The beauty and joy of Jesus’ Transfiguration is what it can do for us! Not putting the love of Christ IN us; rather, drawing the love of Christ OUT of us.

     Christ’s Transfiguration is an invitation for us to “come down” from our mountain tops into the beauty and beast of daily life; into the glory and gory of human relationships; and into the mourning and majesty of God’s love and justice.

     Come, Lord Jesus.  Make mine a double!  Amen.